Fresh off winning the a second consecutive World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers are already focused on building their roster for the 2026 season with multiple transactions on Thursday.
As part of their moves, the Dodgers added Ryan Ward and Robinson Ortiz to their 40-man roster, protecting both from the Rule 5 Draft. Teams have until Nov. 18 to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft, so the Dodgers seemingly got started on their work early.
Ward was the Pacific Coast League (PCL) MVP after batting .290/.380/.557 with 36 homers and 122 RBI for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets. Ward became the second OKC player to win PCL MVP, joining former Dodgers prospect Michael Busch (2023).
He led Minor League Baseball in home runs, RBI, 73 extra-base hits and 315 total bases, and among PCL leaders, Ward ranked second with 113 runs scored, third in both slugging percentage (.557) and OPS (.937) and fourth with 164 hits.
The 27-year-old was drafted by the Dodgers in the eighth round out of Bryant University (Rhode Island) in 2019 and has hit .265/.341/.503 in six Minor League seasons, with 150 home runs, 133 doubles, and 506 RBI in 678 games.
Ortiz went 5-2 with a 2.73 ERA in 48 games this year between High-A Great Lakes, Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The 25-year-old started the season with Loons but was promoted to Double-A on June 17 and had a 1.69 ERA with a 3-0 record for the Drillers before getting promoted again on Aug. 12.
Ortiz finished the 2025 campaign with a 2.76 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 16.1 innings for the Comets.
The southpaw has been with the organization six seasons, posting a 17-12 record with a 3.48 ERA and a 9.0 strikeout per inning ratio in 99 minor league games. He was signed as an international free agent on June 2, 2017 out of Peravia, Dominican Republic.
Dodgers make roster space
To make room on their 40-man roster, the Dodgers outrighted Justin Dean and Michael Grove. In addition, Tony Gonsolin was designated for assignment.
Gonsolin was signed to a one-year, $5.4 million contract for the 2026 season, but was set to miss most of the season after undergoing elbow surgery late in 2025.
Grove is on waivers now, and if he goes unclaimed, he can be sent to the Minors. Dean was claimed by the San Francisco Giants. Gonsolin can either be traded, claimed, released, or if he clears waivers, sent to the Minors.
Earlier in the day, the Dodgers also exercised their options on Max Muncy and Alex Vesia.
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